Mexico Marine Life Makes Astounding Recovery

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To see the world's most thriving undersea wildlife park, head to
the southern tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula.

Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP) is the world's most robust marine
reserve in the world, according to a new study led by researchers
at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of
California, San Diego.

Results of their 10-year analysis of Cabo Pulmo revealed that the
total amount of fish in the reserve ecosystem — the biomass —
boomed by more than 460 percent from 1999 to 2009. Citizens
living around Cabo Pulmo, which was previously
depleted by fishing, established the park in 1995 and have
strictly enforced its "no take" restrictions.

"We could have never dreamt of such an extraordinary recovery of
marine life at Cabo Pulmo," said Enric Sala, the National
Geographic explorer-in-residence who started the study in 1999.
"In 1999, there were only medium-sized fishes, but 10 years later
it's full of large parrotfish, groupers, snappers and even
sharks."

Striking results

The most striking result of the study, the authors say, is that
sea creatures at a depleted site can recover up to a level
comparable to
remote, pristine sites that have never been fished by humans.

"The study's results are surprising in several ways," said
Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher and
lead author of the study. "A biomass increase of 463 percent in a
reserve as large as Cabo Pulmo (71 square kilometers) represents
tons of new fish produced every year. No other marine reserve in
the world has shown such a fish recovery."

The paper notes that factors such as the protection of spawning
areas for large predators have been key to the reserve's
robustness. Most importantly, local enforcement, led by the
determined action of a few families, has been a major factor in
the park's success. Boat captains, dive masters and other locals
work to enforce the park's regulations and share surveillance,
fauna protection and ocean cleanliness efforts.

"We believe that the success of CPNP is greatly due to local
leadership, effective self-enforcement by local stakeholders, and
the general support of the broader community," the authors wrote
in their report.

Local impacts

Strictly enforced marine reserves have been proven to help reduce
local poverty and increase economic benefits, the researchers
say. The national park's marine life recovery has spawned
eco-tourism businesses, including coral reef diving and kayaking,
making it a model for areas depleted by fishing in the Gulf of
California and elsewhere.

"The reefs are full of hard corals and sea fans, creating an
amazing habitat for lobsters, octopuses, rays and small fish,"
said Brad Erisman, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher and
co-author of the article. "During some seasons, thousands of
mobula rays congregate inside the park and swim above the reef in
a magnificent way."

The scientists have been combining efforts to monitor the Gulf of
California's rocky reefs every year for more than a decade,
sampling more than 30 islands and peninsula locations along Baja
California, stretching from Puerto Refugio on the northern tip of
Angel de la Guarda to Cabo San Lucas and Cabo Pulmo south of the
Bahia de La Paz.

During the 10 years of study, the researchers found that Cabo
Pulmo's fish species richness blossomed into a biodiversity "hot
spot." Animals such as
tiger sharks, bull sharks and black tip reef sharks increased
significantly. Scientists continue to find evidence that such top
predators keep coral reefs healthy. Other large fish at Cabo
Pulmo include gulf groupers, dog snappers and leopard groupers.

The study was published in the journal Public Library of Science
(PLoS) ONE.